Vale, Caterpillar strengthen partnership

Metal Tech News - February 12, 2025
Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News X

Ricardo Teles / Vale 
A Cat 793 haul truck at Vale's Brucutu iron ore mine in Brazil.


Global company to collaborate on innovations that improve efficiency and lower carbon emissions.

Toward the goal of shrinking the operating costs and carbon footprint at its global operations, Brazil-based mining giant Vale has signed a new, five-year global framework agreement with Caterpillar Inc.

“The framework agreement represents an evolution in our relationship with Caterpillar, amplifying our focus on maximizing the performance of Vale’s assets and allowing us to advance on our decarbonization path in an economically responsible way,” said Marco Braga, procurement director at Vale.

Considering that diesel fuels its enormous haul trucks and other heavy equipment, and accounts for roughly 15% of Vale’s direct CO2-equivalent emissions, the company could take a major stride on the path to decarbonization by shifting to a zero-carbon energy source for these earthmoving machines.

“The agreement with Vale reflects our commitment to developing solutions that support our customers’ operational and sustainability goals,” said Denise Johnson, group president of Caterpillar Resource Industries.

Toward the goal of developing and implementing new technologies that will push down the carbon footprint of moving ore and waste rock, Vale and Caterpillar have reaffirmed their 2024 commitment to developing a dual-fuel haul truck powered by diesel and ethanol.

Previous work in this area has shown that a mixture of ethanol and diesel would reduce direct CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared to straight diesel engines.

Caterpillar is currently developing a dual-fuel mining truck capable of carrying 240 tons of ore. In the future, the technology may be extended to trucks with a capacity of 320 tons.

Vale currently has 150 of both sizes of Cat trucks at its mining operations.

Initial testing of these diesel and ethanol-burning Cat trucks will be completed at Caterpillar’s facilities in the United States, followed by on-the-job validation and testing at Vale mines.

“Decarbonization is a major challenge today, which will only be overcome by investing in solutions such as alternative fuels and electrification to reduce emissions without compromising efficiency and safety,” explains João Turchetti, director of decarbonization engineering at Vale.

Shane Lasley
A Cat 798 haul truck and Dynamic Energy Transfer System on display during MINExpo 2024.

On the electrification front, Vale plans to test a battery electric haul truck and the new Cat Dynamic Energy Transfer System (DET) charging system.

Unveiled at MINExpo 2024, the Cat DET is an energy delivery system designed by Caterpillar engineers to lower the operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions at new and already operating mines.

Cat DET has three primary parts – a power module that converts energy from a mine site’s power source, an electrified rail system to transmit the energy, and a machine system to transfer electricity to the truck’s powertrain.

Caterpillar has designed the rail system to be highly deployable and customizable to mine site layouts, including high-speed and curved haul roads, enabling higher productivity.

This innovative and dynamic energy-delivering system can be installed at already operational mines that are adding electrified models, as well as new mines coming online during the energy transition.

Vale’s installation of Cat DET and electric battery-electric haul trucks will provide further insights into how this CO2-reduction and productivity-enhancing solution integrates into an already established mine site.

“As global industry leaders, Vale and Caterpillar are seeking not only to meet the demands of the mining sector but also to anticipate technological and environmental trends,” says Marc Cameron, senior vice president of resource industries sales, services and technology at Caterpillar.

By working together, the global mining and heavy equipment manufacturing companies are developing technologies that not only help Vale meet its carbon reduction targets but also provide solutions for an entire mining sector seeking to more efficiently and sustainably produce the metals needed by a world transitioning to cleaner energy.